Bedcover

ABSTRACT

AN IMPROVED BEDCOVER OF THE TYPE HAVING A SKIRT PORTION ADAPTED TO OVERLIE THE SIDES AND END OF A MATTRESS, AND HAVING A FLAP ATTACHED TO THE UNDERSIDE THEREOF ADAPTED TO BE TUCKED BETWEEN THE MATTRESS AND SPRINGS AT TH FOOT END OF THE MATTRESS TO MAINTAIN THE BEDCOVER IN PROPER POSITION ON A BED DURING USE.

E. J. COOPER BEDCOVER Filed March 21, 1969 Nov. 23, 1971' FIGZ-"I" FIG'. "3-

llVVE/VTO/P ELIZABETH J.COOPER B) ,W ATTOR/VE United States Patent 3,621,498 BEDCOVER Elizabeth J. Cooper, Box 152, Mayesville, S.C.

Filed Mar. 21, 1969, Ser. No. 809,167 Int. Cl. A47g 9/00 US. Cl. 334 C 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to bed coverings such as bedspreads, coverlets and the like and, more particularly, to an improved bedcover having means for maintaining it in proper position on a bed during use.

Because of the nature of their construction and manner ofuse, outer coverings for beds, such as bedspreads and coverlets, which have depending skirt portions adapted to hang freely over the sides of the mattress cannot be secured in position on the mattress by tucking the sides and ends under the mattress. Such bedspreads, coverlets and other (inter coverings which have freely hanging skirt portions, therefore, are quite easily dislocated from their normal position on the bed due to movement of persons on or in the bed, resulting in improper cover of the bed and dis comfort to the occupant, as well as making the bed more difficult and time consuming to remake after use. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved bedcover having a depending skirt portion adapted to overlie the sides of the mattress which may be readily maintained in position during use.

' It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved bedcover having means to maintain the cover in proper position on the bed during use without detracting from the aesthetic appearance of the bedcover, and without restricting normal movements of an occupant lying in the bed.

It is a further object to provide an improved bedcover having means to maintain it in proper position on the mattress of a bed during use, which means can be readily attached to the bedcover during its manufacture with a minimum additional expense and without detracting from or necessitating an appreciable alteration in the basic sewn construction of the bedcover.

The above as well as other objects of this invention are accomplished by providing, beneath the bedcover, at the foot portion thereof, a depending fiap of material, the free end of which may be tucked under the mattress between the mattress and springs at the foot of the bed to firmly hold the bedcover in position on the bed and resist its displacement due to movement of an occupant on or in the bed.

Various preferred embodiments of the invention will be better understood and more readily explained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a bedcover of a particular type construction, the bedcover being laid out fiat and having a portion thereof broken away to better show the improvement of the present invention attached thereto;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a foot portion of a bed showing the position of the improved bedcover of FIG. 1 during use;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of another type of bedcover construction employing the improvement of the present invention; and

3,621,498 Patented Nov. 23, 1971 FIG. 4 is a plan view of athird type of bedcover construction employing the improvement of the present invention.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows a bedspread 10 having a main body portion 12 adapted to overlie the top of a mattress of a bed, and a side or skirt portion 14 adapted to extend downwardly over the sides and one end of the mattress to cover the mattress and springs of a bed during use. The roper position of the bedspread 10 on a mattress 16 and springs 18 of a bed during use is shown in FIG. 2.

As seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the bedspread 10 is of a type wherein a stitch construction exists between the main body 12 and skirt portion 14 of the bedspread, such as is the case when the skirt and main body portions are separate pieces of material sewn together and/or, as shown, when a cording 20 or the like is used to separate the main body and skirt portions of the spread and outline the upper edges of the mattress 16.

Suitably secured at the seam or cording 20 on the underside of the bedspread across the foot portion thereof is one end 21 of a flap of material 22, the free end portion 24 of which extends downwardly away from the main body of the spread and toward the free bottom edge of the foot portion of the spread. As best shown in FIG. 2, the flap 22 is of suificient length to permit its free end portion 24 to be tucked under the foot portion of the mattress 16 between the mattress and springs 18 when the spread is placed in use on the bed. The firm securement of the flap between the springs and mattress resists any dislocation of the spread upwardly or downwardly on the surface of the mattress, as well as from side to side thereon, by forces exerted thereon by an occupant in the bed under the spread or a person or object located on top the spread.

As can be appreciated, since the flap 22 is secured to the spread so that the free end portion 24 of the flap extends along and is tucked under the foot portion of the mattress in the same position as the bottom ends of underlying sheets of the bed, the sides of the spread are unsecured and are free so that movements of an occupant of the bed are no more restricted than in the case of a regular bedspread without a depending fiap. Although it is preferred that the flap extend substantially across the full width of the foot portion of the mattress to provide maximum positional securement of the spread on the bed, the securing flap could be discontinuous along its width, or of a somewhat narrower width than shown, if desired.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate additional bedcovers or spreads 30, 40, respectively, of modified constructions and which employ the securing flap of the present invention to insure the position of the spreads on the bed. As seen in FIG. 3, the main body and side or skirt portions of the spread 30 are formed of a continuous piece of material such that no seam or stitch construction is available in the interior portions of the spread for the attachment of the flap. In such cases, when it is desired to retain the unbroken surface appearance of the spread, the flap 32 is formed by an end portion of a large piece of material 34 which is approximately the same size as the spread, and is suitably attached to the underside thereof, as by sewing it to the side edges of the bedspread as shown by the dashed lines 36, 38.

As seen in FIG. 4, the bedspread 40 is of a type wherein stitch constructions and/or cording 42, 44 are employed at the junction of the sides of the main body 46 of the spread and the side skirt portions 48, 49 of the spread, but not across the foot portion of the main body of the spread. In such a spread construction, the securing fla 50 may be formed by the lower end of a. larger continuous sheet of underlying material 52, the side edges 53, 54 (shown in broken lines) of which are appropriately secured to the spread along the stitch constructions or cording 42, 44 and, if desired, along the upper or head end of the spread.

Although the securing flaps of the present invention are shown in the drawings to be slightly shorter than the foot skirt portions of the spreads, the flaps could be longer, if desired, since they would be positioned under the mattress and therefore hidden during use of the spread.

From the foregoing discussion and description of the drawings, it can be appreciated that the flap attachment of the present invention may be employed with any type outer bedcover construction, e.g., bedspreads, coverlets, quilts, comforts, where a portion of the cover is designed to hang freely over the mattress, to at all times firmly secure the cover in its proper position on the bed during use. It can be further appreciated that the securing flap may be readily employed with and attached to bedcovers having various stitch constructions without detracting from the aesthetic appearance of the covers and without further restricting movement of an occupant of a bed during use of the covers.

The foregoing drawings and specifications have set forth preferred embodiments of the invention and, although specific terms have been employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being limited only by the extent of the following claims.

That which is claimed is:

1. An improved bedcover comprising a main body portion for covering the top of the mattress of a bed, a skirt portion for depending downwardly from the main body portion to overlie the sides and end of the mattress, and a flap attached to the underside of the bedcover and adapted to underlie the same during use, said flap having a free end of sufficient length to extend around and under the foot of the mattress for a sufficient distance to be frictionally retained between the mattress and springs of a bed to resist displacement of the bedcover during use, wherein said flap is the lower end portion of a sheet of material of approximately the same size as said main body portion thereof and said sheet is attached thereto along the sides of said main body portion.

2. An improved bedcover comprising a main body portion for covering the top of the mattress of a bed, a skirt portion for depending downwardly from the main body portion to overlie the sides and end of the mattress, and a flap attached to the underside of the bedcover and adapted to underlie the same during use, said flap having a free end of sufficient length to extend around and under the foot of the mattress for a sufficient distance to be frictionally retained between the mattress and springs of a bed to resist displacement of the bedcover during use, wherein said flap is the lower end portion of a sheet of material the side edges of which are attached to the bedcover along the extreme side edge portions of the bedcover.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,144,666 8/1964 Mazera et al. 5-334 X 3,258,789 7/1966 Banks 5-334 FOREIGN PATENTS 47,674 3/1937 France 5-334 BOBBY R. GAY, Primary Examiner P. A. ASCHENBRENNER, Assistant Examiner 

